Taking a Shot
So I arrive at Big John's at 5, and he usually answers shirtless, talking on and on and on. I just need to know where the game is, what stakes, etc. so I know what to bring, and what time to leave. He tells me the game is in Boca Grande. For those of you not familiar with Florida, or even this area, Boca Grande is the epitome of old preppie white money, politicians, and businessmen who just don't want to be bothered. The Bush family has a compound there, and a condo on the newer areas of the island start at 800K. John got off the phone to confirm I was coming.
"So what are the stakes?"
"They said it was 25/50, and they said they play with a rock. What's a rock?"
"Wait, its a 25/50 game, as in 25 bucks/50 bucks?"
"Yeah, but you don't just buy in with cash."
I proceed to explain to him that I can't play stakes that high, I'm just not rolled for it. I have instant visions of going completely broke.
"I was just going to vouch for you, we all have credit lines, and it is paid out at the end of the night. I will put you in, and I get half. You have nothing to lose."
Alright, so he's putting me in a high stakes PLO game just out of nowhere? He has asked me for favors in getting things for him for his yacht friends and I'm guessing they just needed another player. So I head down there with like 5 bucks in my pocket, its almost an hour there, and there is a toll bridge from the mainland to the island. I have a SunPass on my car, so I drive through and there is a block, the thing won't go up. The toll guy comes out and says its 6 dollars, I know that and I point to my transponder on the windshield.
"This bridge is owned by the town, those don't work here."
Great, I have 5 dollars for a 6 dollar toll. I try to explain the situation to the toll guy. Then I realize I have a 100 in my trunk as an emergency thing. ****, how can I forget stuff like that. I hand him the 100, and he was more pissed than when I told him I had no money. He managed to break it, and I was on my way.
I get to the south end of the island where the harbor is and the old town. When I get to the address, there are no cars in sight, so I just park on the side of the road. It is right on the harbor where some larger boats were docked. I hear my name called out, so I figured they knew I was lost or knew what car I was driving. A man in a pink polo and khakis came to greet me. His name was Drew, and had that look of JFK Jr, sophisticated and confident. He tells me to follow him, and I see we are walking away from houses and towards the docks. We approach what I guessed to be a 65-70 foot motoryacht with 3 floors, two interior and a nice sundeck. We walk in the main gallery and this place was decked out with mahogany, chrome, and high end TVs, appliances, etc. I assume a boat that size customized would be 6-7 million.
I met the other "sailors". I looked like a bum compared to them, but I was aware of their lifestyle. They seemed to respect me and I told them where I was from, went to college, etc. One guy happened to go to Wake Forest, where I spent my first two years of school, so we got along. What I found odd was they were all smoking cigars, but I couldn't smell any tobacco.
Anyway, to the game. It was all in a spiral notebook, what people bought in for, what they cashed out. I was asked what I was going to buy in for, and that Big John had it covered. It was going to be half PLO, half PLO8. They appreciated that I could come to fill the game. I asked them what everyone was buying in for, and I got 5000-10000. They played with a 100 dollar rock. For those of you that have never played with a rock, it is most popular in pot limit games. It acts as a pot builder, so when normally in PLO when the blinds are 25-50, you can open to 175, now you can open to 375. No one keeps the rock at the end of the night, it just sits in the pot usually - hence the name rock. Think of it as a straddle that has no monetary value by a person that doesn't exist.
So I buy in for 8000, and I am a tad bit nervous. I don't like playing on any sort of credit, especially friend's credit. That is probably the opposite thinking of most degens, who will happily run up their own credit as well as others. we get to the game, and there is a server who asks me what I want to drink. I ask for a Tanqueray and tonic, figuring that would flow well with the crowd. It comes immediately and I try and tip the waitress. Apparently there is no tipping here, she works a flat rate. There is also no rake. I feel like a fill in on a movie set in Hollywood, like I am doing them a favor.
The hands start out kind of slow, but the dealer was very competent, I had never seen him before. The pace picked up when UTG (a Jack Nicholson sort of character) raised to 300, MP calls, and I flat the button with 88910dd. The flop comes 678cc and UTG makes it 800 to go. I raise to 2500 to set up a turn shove. He just calls out of position, and a red A hits the turn after MP folds. With 5900 in the pot, and about 5300 in my stack, I am hoping he leads/calls off on a safe turn. He did lead for 1500, which is just an odd bet. I am repping 910, clubs with gutter combos, maybe J10Qx at worst. I raise all in and he snaps off before the chips get in. He has AAJ10cc, so he has a ton of outs.
"Do you want to run it twice?" I ask.
"We don't do that anymore, its not fun that way." He says with that grin that showed how much he loved this game. I guess I'm just going to have to embrace variance then! A red deuce hits the river, and I am up to right around 15800. I go to throw the dealer a green chip and guess what? The dealer can't accept tips either. I had to go to the bathroom to make sure my ******* would unclench, because it felt like my money on the line. I came back and they were taking shots of some special reserve bourbon, so I didn't want to stand out, and down it went. I haven't drank in a while, and I was playing the highest stake cash game I had ever been in with a bunch of ego-driven 1 percenters. I tried to replay my high school and college days with these guys with a don't give a **** attitude towards the rest of the world. The rules didn't apply to these guys.
The only other hand I got into of note was one of the last hands of the night. I raise UTG with JJ910 double suited to 300, all black. It looked so pretty, but I felt a little worried when the tightest guy at the table called on the button. The flop came QJ4hh and I flung in a 500 chip, to which he raised to 1800. I just call, as I have this tingly feeling I am behind, or against a huge draw like AK109hh, and was willing to fold an A,K,9 or heart turn. The K of hearts hits the turn, the worst card for my hand in my opinion, and I bet out 500 again. It may have been the dumbest bet I have ever made, especially given the stakes. I did this with the idea that he would raise any turn that gave him the nuts, and fold if this card had him possibly drawing dead. Of course he raises to 4600 and I snap muck my hand. It cost me 500 to know, and I had to know! I even tossed him a black chip to see his hand, and he showed AAQQhh, so I was drawing to one out.
At 130am, they decided to call it quits, and I let out a sigh of relief. I cashed out for 12700, more than happy to make 2350 that night when I had no clue what I was getting into. I drive home, and when I pass over the bridge, the same guy was sitting there looking for 6 bucks. I peeled past the small bills and handed him another 100 and made him break it, again. This guy probably made over 50K a year on that bridge, a ridiculous salary for the job. I bring 4700 in cash to Big John, and he gives me 2500, which is more than fair. We have a talk, and says he is willing to do this more often if there are consistent positive results.
I keep that in mind as I pocket the money, head home, take a shower, and crash in my rented room from my younger sister. It was such a rush and it felt so great that all my adrenaline was gone, the energy was drained from my body. I slept thanking whoever was up there for letting me run well tonight and making a good impression on a possible long term backer.
To be continued.